6.2.2 Communication and Collaboration

The importance of communication in the second language classroom is primordial. As Littlewood (1981) explains: "...foreign language teaching must be concerned with reality: with the reality of communication as it takes place outside of the classroom and with the reality of learners as they exist outside and inside of the classroom" (p. 95). The early emphasis on form in language teaching was gradually replaced beginning in the early seventies with a greater emphasis on function. Real-world language use, meaningful communicative interaction, purposive behaviour, negotiation of social meaning, development of fluency as opposed to accuracy, opportunities for students to express their own individuality: each of these became important goals for Communicative Language Teaching.

In spite of the importance of providing avenues for communication, many language classes have, until now, not had such opportunities for meaningful communication. Opportunities for meaningful and authentic communication with Francophones are limited in cases where students are not exposed to Francophone populations. However, what some beliefs in this study indicate is that OLEs are now making easier the realization of the goals of Communicative Language Teaching by making available sophisticated electronic communicative tools. It is perhaps for this reason, that one of the beliefs expressed in this study is that "no one stands to gain more from les nouvelles technologies than foreign language classrooms". This belief is supported by the claims of Warschauer (1997) who argued in a similar vein that computer-mediated communication "is probably the single computer application to date with the greatest impact on language teaching" (p.5). This impact becomes even more significant when one considers the beliefs expressed by teachers in this study who live in remote and/or isolated areas. OLEs take on a special significance and value for these individuals. Online communication tools provide them with "meaningful opportunities to use their second language"- opportunities which might not be available to them otherwise.

The emphasis on communication in second-language pedagogy, particularly in CLT, may explain why some of the beliefs in this subcategory described online communication as being the prime advantage of OLEs, something that "cannot be duplicated in the classroom". For primary students, "good books" or a "CD-ROM" are described as "superior" to anything the Internet can provide with the exception of opportunities to communicate. These beliefs reflect one of Underwood’s (1984) principles for Communicative CALL which argues that effective use of the computer for communication "does not try to do anything that a book could do just as well".

Beliefs emphasizing the importance of communication are important in CLT. However, they also reflect more recent preoccupations and principles such as those of Williams and Burden (1997) whose social-interactionist framework maintains that we learn a language through meaningful interaction with others. The emphasis in the findings on "conversation", "correspondence", "interaction", "exchanging" and "sharing" also reflect Honebein’s (1996) argument that constructivist learning involves embedding learning in social experience. The elements of social experience and interaction are also highlighted by teachers’ beliefs that emphasize the advantages of online communication to facilitate "special relationships", "international solidarity", "global communities" and communication with "family and friends". Support for online communication evident by some of the beliefs in this study is consistent with Hubbard’s (1987) emphasis on the need for comprehensible output and learner-learner interaction in the target language. A further advantage of online communication and interaction with native speakers noted by one teacher is its ability to provide alternate linguistic models. This belief is echoed and supported in the literature by Hanson-Smith (1997) who recognizes the value of online communication in increasing linguistic diversity.

Many beliefs were expressed about the value of OLEs to provide students with access to other worlds beyond that of the classroom and other materials beyond those created by the teacher. Such beliefs support use of the computer in the role of generator of reality. Beliefs reflecting this metaphor of the computer refer to opportunities for students to "visit French-speaking countries", to contact "a whole world of francophone kids", "to see parts of the francophone world", to "take students far beyond the classroom, to give them "contact with the outside world" and to "contact groups in other parts of the world". These types of beliefs favour providing meaningful opportunities for interaction, more student-centered experiences and learner-learner interaction as well as an interest in taking advantage of the capacity of OLEs to break the pattern of teacher-centered discussion in the classroom.

A specific online communication tool about which teachers described their experiences and beliefs was that of chat rooms. Singhal (1997) refers to the ability of chat rooms to stimulate authentic communication and assist students in developing specific communication skills. Teachers described how they use chat both for communication between students in the same class and between different classes. Two teachers who discussed chat rooms at length described how they circulate around the room providing advice or help. Use of chat rooms reflects support for Communicative Language Teaching principles as follows: the teacher does not know what language the student will use; students interact with people instead of just with the language; fluency as opposed to accuracy is the goal; teachers assist the learners instead of controlling them; students generate original utterances rather than manipulating prefabricated language. Teachers also noted that they believe that use of chat allows for more participation from shier students which confirms the findings of studies on computer-mediated communication as reported by Warschauer (1997a) and wherein researchers have noted that the social dynamics of CMC result in more equality of participation than what would be typical in face-to-face communication.

Communication is important in second-language learning. However, in the evolution of approaches to teaching second languages, we are reminded by Stern (1992) that the communicative approach relies too much on the single concept of communication. Warschauer (1996a) provides a similar caution when he notes the criticisms of Communicative CALL. He argues instead in favour of models which integrate communication with task- or project-based learning. Warschauer (1997a) affirms that online communication has the power to allow learners to collaborate and to construct knowledge together. Singhal (1997) observed that online interaction can lead to cooperative projects and increased communication between students from all over the world, in turn leading to the development of social skills. Many teachers in this study highlighted their use of OLEs as a means to promote collaboration between students. Collaborative projects, global communities, sharing and exchanging information and knowledge, exchange of videos, collaboration on themes: beliefs in the value of these elements suggests a move beyond the phase of Communicative CALL to reflect aspects of the vision for language learning in the 21^st century. The following section looks at another sub-category of beliefs, that of real-world learning, and how it too reflects aspects of the vision.